Chipotle & Panera coming to VCU

Rumor has it that Chipotle and Panera are coming to VCU- where the old Pizza Hut was on the corner of Grace and Laurel. Can anyone confirm or deny this news? I cannot find anything online, but VCU students are all abuzz about it.

That’s the building under construction next to Hyperlink Cafe, which doesn’t seem a big enough space for both restaurants.

Chain restaurants are really taking hold in that part of town- 1 block away on Broad St. there’s Qdoba, 5 Guys, Tropical Smoothie, Extreme Pizza, Quizno’s, and a little further away on the corner of Belivdere and Cary there’s a new Chile’s.

**Update- rumor tentatively confirmed, read the comments for more info.

It would be great if VCU students would be all abuzz about all the amazing local restaurants in the area and get out of their bubble. Corporate is invading the heart of Richmond and if we are not careful the area will look like the West End which would be a travesty. The local shops and restaurants are what makes the Fan area special and if they start going extinct because of chains then we lose that magic.

Parker: Yeah, exactly. It took me almost my entire freshman year to realize what awesome local businesses Richmond, and particularly the area directly surrounding VCU, has to offer. I wish I had discovered Kuba Kuba much sooner, but instead, Tropical Smoothie Cafe was right down the street. Richmond then was a new city to me, though. So I think that’s just part of it. Commercial chains provide comfort to people in new cities, especially people in huge moments of transition like the first year of college.

I’d heard the same thing about Chipotle and Pannera. It looks like the Chipotle will be the smaller space closer to Grace Street — it seems a similar footprint to some of their other urban storefronts.

Why do I always want to call it “Pantera” and make crazy guitar noises?

It’s too bad people can’t just take these chains as a good sign. The area is now decent enough that companies of all sizes are finally willing to do business around there. When I went to VCU in ’96 it was a total shithole. The students can now get jobs, or just grab a bite on their way to class at someplace other than Hardee’s and Mr. Submarine. There’s still plenty of room for independant business, should someone decide to open any.

Jakes, I agree with you to an extent however it doesn’t sound like you are much of a patron of local businesses and I doubt many new students will be either if they can have the familiar 5 pounds of chicken, rice, and beans they can find in thousands of other localities around the nation. This is about pride in local establishments and keeping our identity instead becoming a soulless line of chain stores and restaurants.

Parker- I agree with you completely on the west end as “soulless cancer of strip malls.” And I’m unabashedly anti-corporate in my tastes.

What I heard from Jakes, however, is a slightly different point. Though I’m not excited about the chains, it is a sign of Richmond’s downtown rebirth- corporate soul-sucking chains only locate places where they are reasonably sure a market exists. So there is some celebration that downtown Richmond has rebounded to that point.

Nevertheless, I’ll continue to choose the Nile, 821, Harrison St., Crossroads, or any of the other incredible local spots when I’m dining near VCU. And I hope others do too.

I basically agree with the “run them outta town” vibe, but I think we’ve got to be realistic. The “soulless cancer” is ingrained in the hearts and minds of many incoming students and their parents who see big chains as a soothing sign of safety and go ahead and pay their kid’s tuition. I really despise Panera (but kinda dig Chipotle every 6 mos or so), but if you go stand in line at Tropical Smoothie on Broad and give out coupons for Cous Cous, the Umbro shorts in the winter crew still ain’t showing up*. At the very least, these two places look like the result of a poll of the students favorite chains. Now, as different flavors of the month pop up, we’ll probably see those places rotate to some other disposable prefab concept storefront. (*Umbros – am I dating myself?)

I usually eat at local establishments myself, but I tend to think that there’s room for corporate and local business in downtown Richmond. Look at any successfully revitalized downtown in this country and you’ll see the same thing.

Parker: I agree with everything you’ve said. And some with others. Yes, the name and branding of places like Chipotle and Panera are soothing to little punks that come down from NOVA to go to VCU. These are the only restaurants they know, and have known their whole life. They’re soothing, familiar, affordable, and of course, tasty. Except for Panera, with it’s sandwiches being made-up of 80% bread. No thanks.

And it took me about a year to truly realize the amazing tastes that Richmond has to offer, especially in the campus area. Kuba, 821, Crossroads, Harrison St, Nile,Ellwood’s, Ipaneama, Joe’s, and now Black Sheep. Of course Chipotle will probably end up accepting Ram Bucks. It took locals and friends of mine that were familiar with the restaurant scene in the Fan to really turn me on to these places.

But that’s what growing on a city is all about. I was a freshman from Buckingham County, not knowing shit about Richmond, and now strive to only eat locally and support local businesses. They employee about 90% of my friends, and keep me full.

I do have to admit to a Sunday night dinner at Chipotle every once in a while. But seriously, fuck Panera.

This is a problem in college towns everywhere. Local businesses thrive on continuity and customer loyalty, and this can be really difficult to come by where so many people are here for only 4-5 years. Even in my college town of tiny, remote Clemson, SC there were tons of wonderful locally owned places, but they always seemed on the verge of survival. It was a constant effort by the upperclassmen to pressure every incoming class to branch out from the thousand generic sub chains. It’s one of the valuable parts about leaving home for school. How many of us have never chosen comfort over something new?

Panera’s not great, but I gotta admit, when we moved to Richmond, my wife and I went there often if only because we had no internet/cable/phone or access to my VCU account and our broke asses could share a cup of coffee and enjoy 3-4 hours of free wi-fi guilt-free.

Panera sucks period. Over priced, low quality fast food with glamorous marketing. If the food is so fresh, try this one. Ask for a sandwich without mustard or mayo. I guarantee you the response will be “We can’t do that, they’re all pre-made.” You mean to tell me a company that makes sandwiches a core product of their business finds hand making a sandwich such a monumental task that they must be premade? Panera isn’t trendy, their shrink wrapped food isn’t good, the value for your money sucks, their re-heated soup is bland, and the whole atmosphere makes me want to vomit on every laptop toting abercrombie and fitch douche that walks in the door. You want quality food and value? Look around your neighborhood and visit a local establishment where they have to take pride in what they do or they don’t exist. If you really think you’re eating healthy and avoiding assembly line fast food because the ad says so and they offer free wi-fi you’re an idiot.